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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — the cause
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bass — low music
  16. bound — certain
  17. bass — the fish
  18. tube — a container
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com